“The more things change, the more they
stay the same.”
That’s a popular saying that at times
may sound cliché, but it applies very
well at Farmerstown Furniture.
“Change” is a word we hear a lot in the
local hardwood furniture industry. The last five or 10 years have
brought a great deal of change to the
Amish-built furniture world. As consumers
“age in” and “age out” of their
peak furniture buying years, local furniture
builders have responded to changing
tastes and preferences by introducing
new styles, designs and colors.
Farmerstown Furniture definitely
has witnessed those changes, and
taken it all in stride. After 46 years of
providing high-quality, locally built
hardwood furniture to neighbors,
friends and tourists alike, the folks at
Farmerstown Furniture have learned
that change is constant.
“It used to be two or three shades
of Oak or Cherry, furniture that most
people were shopping for,” said
Merle Hershberger, son of founder Jr.
Hershberger. “Especially back in the
early 1990s, people didn’t really care what
the color was. They just liked the quality.”
The designs were not as important back
then, either.
But Merle is very quick to acknowledge,
“Those days are gone.” Adding,
“Nowadays, people want furniture that fits
in with the rest of their home, and the colors
that they decorate with.”
So Farmerstown Furniture has responded
to these new (read: younger) buyers,
by working with local hardwood
manufacturers to stock their showroom
with modern, contemporary
styles, colors and designs. “If
you could turn back the clock
eight or 10 years, our showroom
definitely would look different
then than it does today,”
when light-colored Oak, and
dark-stained Cherry furniture
dominated consumers’ choices.
“It’s very different today.
Shoppers don’t want the same
look that maybe their parents
had, or that doesn’t fit with their
own style.” And that’s OK,
Merle says, because “Our local furniture
builders have really responded very well.”
Merle does point out, though, “We still
stock the more-traditional styles and colors,
too; we always will, and they still sell
pretty well. The younger buyers — they
just want something different.” Merle continued,
“It’s exciting, really. There has
been a lot of innovation in the last few
years, and we see things like the new ‘rustic’
styles that you never would have
dreamed of five or 10 years ago.”
Not everything has changed at Farmerstown Furniture though, like the
family oriented nature of the business, and
how customers are treated. Merle’s father,
Jr. Hershberger, started the business in
1969, when almost no one was talking
about Amish-built furniture. In fact, Farmerstown
Furniture is the oldest Amish owned
and operated retail furniture store
in the area. Merle represents the second
generation, and if you’re in the store for
any length of time, you’re likely to see the
third generation popping in and out of the
5,000-square-foot showroom; Merle’s
children.
As far as customer service goes, “I
know it sounds simple,” says Merle, “but
we have always tried to treat people like
we would want to be treated.”
Business experts will tell you that
friendly customer service is a recipe for
longevity, and it must be true, because
Farmerstown Furniture
now sees customers’
children and grandchildren
coming back for
furniture of their own.
“That’s a good feeling,”
Merle says. “We always
enjoy it when someone
recommends us, but
when you start seeing
the second or third generation
of customers
from the same family, that tells
us that we’re doing something right.”
Farmerstown Furniture is located at
3155 State Route 557, Baltic, OH 43804
(just outside Farmerstown, three miles
south of Charm). Phone: 330-897-0406.
Store hours: Monday-Saturday 8 a.m. to 5
p.m. Closed Sunday.
Written by www.ohacg.com